by OL » Thu Nov 16, 2017 11:48 pm
Justice League.
This is what happens when the internet shits too much all over BvS, then acts like Wonder Woman was the second coming of Christ.
It's a fun enough movie. As a comic fan, I definitely enjoyed how much it nodded in the direction of the source material so much. And dear lord, I never thought I'd ever see this much Jack Kirby work translated into live-action. Never in a million years.
But man, it barely even feels like it's in the same universe as BvS anymore. After all the backlash over how grim and gritty both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman were, they decided to nix the grit entirely in this one. Like, even in the opening scene, where it's just Batman in Gotham, there is no grit to be found. Just colorful, slightly over-the-top superhero hijinx, a la everything Marvel.
In that respect, I will say this: it is absolutely no worse than the stuff Marvel regularly puts out.
I don't know what the critics are saying about this yet, but it's at least on the level with your average Marvel fare. Perhaps a little cheesier, but that's unavoidable with DC; at its source, DC is typically a little more mythic and fantastical, while Marvel is typically a little more sci-fi (thus, slightly more grounded in most cases).
So yeah, it's more colorful, more cheerful. Pretty much all the stuff people bitched and moaned about BvS takes a 180 for this one.
But then... I really liked BvS. Unlike most, I appreciated it for being different. But I guess I'm not the target audience anymore.
All the same, it's a fun enough flick. Better than Wonder Woman for damn sure, regardless of how ridiculous the positivity was toward that movie.
And yeah, Aquaman steals the goddamn show, because of course he does. Best scene in the entire movie is a gag with him, and it's great because it's something you can only do with the Justice League; felt like something Giffen and Dematteis would have done in the 80s JLI days.
And Ezra Miller's Flash is a lot of fun. I thought he would feel redundant and old-hat because I'm so familiar with the (currently terrible) tv show, but this movie version is just as valid and actually feels kind of fresh. Looking forward to seeing him in a solo movie.
Meanwhile, Cyborg remains a little bit of a mystery, and it's hard to get much of a bead on his personality in this particular movie. I will say I'm more enthusiastic about a solo movie for him after seeing this, though. And the guy playing him (I'm blanking right now) is certainly well-cast.
I'm sure people will hate this movie regardless (feels like DC can't win, unless it's something about feminism), but I can't honestly say that it isn't an entertaining comicbook flick.
I like it. I just like BvS more.
EDIT: Also meant to say, they got Danny Elfman for the soundtrack this time around. Nice nod to the old Batman movies, sure, but the soundtrack here is pretty weak.
I really, really think they should have gotten Hans Zimmer again. Whatever you may think of BvS, his score for it was heavy, atmospheric, and just goddamn excellent. Justice League needed that as well, but Elfman's score just feels... lighter. And for the big movie where you finally get all of these heroes together? You need some of that heaviness that Zimmer brings to the table. Missed opportunity there.